10 Lepta

The 1830 10 Lepta was struck at the very moment Greece was being formally recognized as an independent state — the London Protocol of February 1830 had only just confirmed sovereignty, and the Kapodistrian government was scrambling to establish functioning institutions, currency among them. These early Hellenic State coppers were minted in Aegina, the provisional capital, using a facility that was rudimentary by European standards. Kapodistrias had contracted French technical assistance, but production was inconsistent and many pieces show uneven planchet preparation as a direct consequence.

Kapodistrias himself was assassinated the following year, in October 1831, before a stable monetary system was ever fully realized.